The f ive ministers costing the taxpayer up to €1.3m
THE Government’s five health ministers could be costing the taxpayer as much as €1.3m every year. Under this Government, the number of ministers in the Health Department has jumped from three to five. Each post comes with two drivers, and two of the ministers have two special advisers each. Simon Harris heads the team as Minister for Health. Finian McGrath, TD for Dublin Bay North, is a Junior Health Minister with special responsibility for Disabilities. Meath East TD Helen McEntee is also a Junior Minister for Mental Health and Older People. Catherine Byrne, TD for Dublin SouthCentral, is Junior Minister for Communities and the National Drugs Strategy. Marcella Corcoran Kennedy TD for Laois/ Offaly is Junior Minister for Health Promotion.
Their combined salaries, including allowances for being a minister, total €671,038.
Mr Harris earns the standard TD salary of €87,258 with an allowance of €70,282, coming to €157,540.
Three of the junior ministers take home €87,258 plus an allowance of €34,381 – coming to €121,639.
In Mr McGrath’s case the department also pays him an allowance as he was appointed as ‘attending Government’ meaning Cabinet meetings, which junior ministers don’t usually do. This allowance is €15,829, bringing his pre-tax earnings to €137,468.
Separately to this, Mr McGrath – as an Independent TD without the support of a party – receives the Parliamentary Activities Allowance for administration and research, formerly known as the party leaders’ allowance, of up to €37,037.
Independents must produce an annual spending statement but they do not have to produce receipts.
Mr Harris and Mr McGrath have two special advisers each.
These people brief the ministers on various topics and sometimes interact with the press on their behalf. Each earns between €79,401 and €91,624.
This means that the annual bill for these advisers could range from €317,604 to as much as €366,496.
Mr Harris drew both his advisers from the Fine Gael pool. They are Joanne Lonergan and Majella Fitzpatrick.
Mr McGrath’s advisers are independent Dublin councillor, Damien O’Farrell, and Gerry Maguire who was in the Health Department for 35 years.
The minister and his four junior ministers each have two drivers. The drivers earn either €631.75 or €665 weekly, depending on their pension scheme.
A department spokesman said the drivers work one week on, one week off due to the long hours, which is why two are needed.
This bill comes to between €296,020.75 and could be up to €311,885.
The previous health team were health minister Leo Varadkar, Kathleen Lynch over primary care, mental health and disability, and Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, who served in a crossdepartmental role as junior minister for the national drugs strategy.
Advisers bill alone could top €360k